Harrogate Convention Centre redevelopment to seek levelling up cash

The proposed £47 million redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre will seek cash from the government’s Levelling Up fund.

Harrogate Borough Council is behind the major project and has today confirmed it will bid to the second round of the fund which has a limit of £20m per project and a submission deadline of July 6.

The redevelopment plans were first revealed in 2020, but questions over how the project would be funded have remained ahead of the council being abolished next April.

The council issued a statement today, but did not say how much it would bid for.

It said:

“We can confirm we will be submitting a formal bid through the government’s Levelling Up Fund to help support the redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre.

“If successful, a version without commercially sensitive information will be available on our website after the announcement.”

The Levelling Up Fund was set up to help areas in need of economic recovery and growth, and each project must have the support of an area’s local MP.

Cash for the 40-year-old convention centre has also been included in a proposed devolution deal for North Yorkshire and York, which is currently being negotiated with government.

It is expected that a deal will be reached this summer, although there are questions over what funding could be agreed for the convention centre.

The venue has been described as in “critical need” of an upgrade by the council which previously said that without investment its maintenance costs could reach £19 million over the next two decades.

The proposed redevelopment could involve three exhibition halls being demolished to make way for a new 5,000 sq m hall and a refurbished auditorium.

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Plans to refurbish the venue’s studio two with a flexible events space for up to 1,200 delegates are also included in the proposals.

A start date for these works was earmarked for October, although the wider project has yet to be given approval.

Figures revealed by the Local Democracy Reporting Service last year showed the council has already spent £1.5 million on planning the redevelopment ahead of a final decision from councillors.

Contracts have been awarded to several companies to produce design and feasibility works, an economic impact assessment and a business case.

These works will be presented to the council’s cabinet in “the coming months,” a spokesperson said.

In the first round of the Levelling Up Fund, Harrogate Borough Council and Craven District Council submitted a joint bid for £6 million for regeneration projects in Ripon, Skipton and Masham.

The projects would have included “high-quality place-making, improved cultural and community assets, and improved sustainable connectivity” in the three areas.

However, the bid was not successful and no funding was awarded.

Bilton man says government is failing young people with mental health issues

A man from Bilton who battled undiagnosed Post-traumatic stress disorder for six years says the government is failing young people with mental health issues due to a lack of funding.

Ben Rothery, 22, said his mental health first began to suffer as a teenager when he struggled to come to terms with his sexuality and was bullied by other children.

He also developed a problematic relationship with food and his weight increased to 18 stone.

The bullying led to a suicide attempt aged 16 and further traumatic events at university increased his suffering. Despite seeking help through the NHS several times, they were unable to diagnose what was wrong with him.

He said in one year, he told at least 10 people within the NHS about the same traumatic experiences.

He said:

“I shut everything positive out of my life. I didn’t know what was going on.”

Huge waiting lists

After his suicide attempt six years ago, he was first referred by his GP to CAMHS, an NHS service for young people with mental health problems.

Mr Rothery said the waiting list was “huge” but he was offered regular sessions for a year.

He was one of the lucky ones, with reports of some young people waiting up to two years for sessions.

Whilst helpful, he said CAMHS was unable to diagnose him with any mental health condition, which left him confused.

Things began to improve at school, and after coming out as gay during his school’s 6th form prom, his confidence improved. He went to university in York to train to be a teacher and his future looked bright.

He said:

“It was the happiest I’d ever been. I finally looked in mirror and that was who I wanted to be.”

But whilst at university, his mental health began to suffer again. He starved himself and lost six stone in just two months.

He then suffered a painful fallout with people he thought were friends and faced more bullying.

He bought a pride flag that he hoped to take to his first Harrogate Pride event. However, somebody went into his bedroom, urinated on it and posted a video all over social media. He said he then “isolated himself completely”.

Retreating into own world

When the first covid lockdown happened in March 2020, Mr Rothery said “the world stopped when I needed it to stop”.

He dropped out of university with thousands of pounds worth of debt, moved back home to Harrogate with his family, and retreated into his own world.

He said the experience at university was traumatic and he didn’t feel like he could talk about it.

“People said, ‘it’s just drama’ but it really affected me. It was like being so high up, feeling like you made it in life, then plummeting straight back down. I was lower than when I tried to commit suicide at 16″.

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Seeking help

In early 2021, Mr Rothery decided to seek help again. His GP referred him to IAPT, an NHS talking therapy service.

But he was offered just three hours of CBT treatment and it didn’t address his problems. He was still desperately seeking a diagnosis and an answer to why he was feeling so bad.

He said:

“I thought I had anxiety that had spiralled out of control. I had looked into PTSD, but I thought only people who had suffered really extreme things, like soldiers or victims of sexual assault had that.

“I felt like I hadn’t been listened to. Everybody I spoke to didn’t understand my problems.”

He said he carried on struggling until late last year when he had a “complete meltdown” and contemplated suicide again.

“I sat sobbing in my bedroom. I thought, I don’t want to leave my mum and dad. I saw how my previous suicide attempt made them feel. But I just thought, I don’t want to wake up.”

Next therapist

With his mental health problems now at an all-time low, he visited his GP again.

The doctor presented him with two options: go back to IAPT again or take medication. But he didn’t want to rely on chemicals to feel better.

Fortunately, his dad, who is a painter and decorator, had a customer in Harrogate who is a trained therapist. A deal was agreed where he would do work for her in return for offering sessions for Ben.

Private therapy sessions usually start at least £50 an hour, out of reach for most young people in Harrogate on lower salaries, so the offer changed his life.

He said it was the first time somebody had listened and told him what was wrong with him: PTSD brought on by the traumatic events of his teenage years and at university.

“That was the first time somebody told me what was wrong with me.

“It’s like a filing cabinet that has been thrown over and reorganising. It was the first time I’d felt listened to. I felt like I’d achieved something. For six years since 16 I’d been trying to get support but nobody seemed to know what to do.”

Doing better now

Mr Rothery says since the private therapy sessions finished he is doing much better. He has a fulfilling job and a good support network including his mum and dad.

But he fears that there are countless other people in Harrogate who are suffering with poor mental health in silence⁠ —and they are unable to afford expensive private therapy sessions that could make all the difference.

A report published in May by Harrogate-based Healthwatch North Yorkshire found that 72% of young people said they had experienced mental health or well-being issues in the past year.

Mr Rothery said:

“The biggest frustration for me is that anybody who didn’t have a support system at home like me would not have survived as long as I did. It crossed my mind that i could stop it all with one solution, but I’d be giving up. If i was to commit suicide, I’d give up all this fight.”

He added:

“If everybody tried to get help and came forward to their GPs, maybe more would be done.”

Starbeck cafe tackling the cost of living crisis

A cafe in Starbeck has become a hub for the local community, which is rallying together in the face of the cost of living crisis.

The Living Room Café is run by Sarah Khanye and inside the Life Destiny Church at 93b High Street.

The family-friendly space opens from Tuesday to Friday from 9am until 3pm and hosts a variety of events that aim to bring the community together with homemade food, drinks and treats available.

Ms Khanye, 31, has worked in catering all her life. When the Stray Ferret visited yesterday, she looked at home with a spoon in a bowl as she made a cake.

She set up the cafe over two years ago, before covid and before the cost of living crisis.

Both have unquestionably increased stress, isolation and anxiety for people living in Starbeck.

The cafe aims to be not just a place to fill up your belly, but also somewhere where local families and friends can get together in a welcoming space.

Ms Khayne said:

“One cup of tea can last all day. The cafe helps people feel safe, combats loneliness and improves mental health.”

Affordability

The cafe is volunteer-run, with prices kept affordable.

It also includes a pantry and community fridge that includes donated food from places like the Co-op, which people are able to pay for with whatever they can afford.

The cafe also hosts events including community running clubs, craft and coffee mornings and get-togethers for mums, among other activities.

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Cost of living

Starbeck is one of the least affluent areas in the Harrogate district with many residents more vulnerable to increasing prices.

Life Destiny Church also runs a food bank, which has seen demand increase sharply.

Ms Khanye says in the last two months alone, the number of people coming to the food bank has gone up by a “massive, massive” amount as the cost of living crisis continues to bite.

She said:

“People in Starbeck are worried about the cost of living. A lot of people have limited income so numbers are growing.”

But with difficult times ahead, Ms Khanye believes Starbeck will stick together through choppy waters.

She added:

“I just like to see people enjoy the community where they live.

“Seeing families being able to support each other is massive. It would be a sad thing not to work here!”

Some of the events the cafe puts on.

Bambudda restaurant in Ripon to close

Asian restaurant Bambudda in Ripon is to close this month.

The eatery on Kirkgate posted a message on its Facebook page this afternoon to say that it will shut its doors for the last time on July 11.

Opening in 2017, Bambudda built a name for itself in the city for offering quality Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian and Thai food.

The message said:

 “We are very grateful for your support in last few years. Thank you for all lovely messages, all the amazing staffs in Ripon Team”.

The message added that anyone who has vouchers at the restaurant is able to use them at its Darlington restaurant, which will remain open.

Bambudda is one of Ripon’s most popular restaurants and the post this afternoon prompted a flurry of responses from Riponians who enjoyed eating there.

The comments included ‘Big loss for Ripon, been a few times and always been excellent food and service’ and ‘Thank you for all the support you gave me providing food for the elderly and vulnerable during lockdown — was appreciated by many in Ripon’.

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Children at Starbeck school plant new community garden

Children at Springwater School in Starbeck have been busy planting fruit trees, edible herbs and wildflowers in a new community garden.

The special needs school on Starbeck High Street offers a modified curriculum for young people aged two to 19 with special needs.

The community garden was the brainchild of Life Destiny Church and Starbeck Community Group, which wanted to collaborate on a new green space in Starbeck where produce can be enjoyed by the local community.

The herbs and fruit trees that were planted will be used in the school’s curriculum cooking sessions. Food will also be donated to the food bank that takes place at the church.

Around 80 students spent a day working on the area last week along with Andrew Hart from Starbeck Community Group and Jeremy Fennings from the church.

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Kelly Tomlinson, RE lead at Springwater School, said:

“It will create a wonderful area of greenery in Starbeck that can be enjoyed into the future. All students shared the common goal of supporting the community in a project that cares for our planet.

“Andrew and Jeremy were fantastic at guiding students throughout the day and we continue to work with them, developing the area further. “

Andrew Hart added:

“A smaller group of Springwater students are now attending the garden weekly with Life Destiny Church and Starbeck Community Group to bring this garden to fruition. The produce will all go to Springwater School and the vulnerable in the community. It’s another great example of the community working together in Starbeck.”

Harrogate pregnancy brand raises £2m to grow company

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

A Harrogate business specialising in maternity products has raised £2m to help grow the company.

My Expert Midwife offers 19 products designed to help women prepare and recover during pregnancy, birth and early parenthood, as well as midwife-developed webinars, antenatal classes and ebooks.

Its products are sold online and in Boots, John Lewis, Ocado, JoJo Maman Bébé and Next.

The £2m fundraise was led by Pembroke, which invested £1.5m alongside existing shareholders and private investors.

Lesley Gilchrist, registered midwife and co-founder of My Expert Midwife, said:

“Our driving vision is to help all parents-to-be on their journey to parenthood, every step of the way, from preconception, through pregnancy and birth, to recovery and caring for their new baby, whether that be through our expert information guides and ebooks, our midwife-developed products or our antenatal education services.”

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New coffee shop opens in Harrogate

A new coffee shop called Espresso House has opened in Harrogate.

The shop is on Beulah Street in a unit that was previously home to Subway.

It joins a flurry of new food and drink openings on Beulah Street over the past year, including Turkish cafe Sirius, which is over the road from Espresso House.

Harrogate district second home owners face extra council tax charge

North Yorkshire County Council could introduce a 100% premium on council tax bills on second homes within the next two years.

The local authority estimates the charge could generate £1.5m a year in extra council tax payments in the Harrogate district and £14m a year in North Yorkshire overall.

The issue of second homes in the county has risen up the political agenda in recent years, with concerns that they are pricing local people out of buying homes in the places they were brought up.

House prices in the Yorkshire Dales, for instance, are about a third higher than the county average. The average cost of a property in the Dales is nearly £400,000, while the average weekly wage in North Yorkshire is just over £530.

Councillor Carl Les, the Conservative leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said the move depended on new legislation being introduced by the national government and the approval of the local authority.

He said any money raised through the premium would be used to fund council services, including council tax reduction schemes and affordable housing projects.

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The council’s executive will meet on Tuesday to debate the new council tax policy.

Carl Les

Council leader Carl Les

Cllr Les said:

“The issue of second home ownership has emerged as a major issue for many areas of the country, and it is one that we are acutely aware of in North Yorkshire.

“The county is a wonderful place to live and visit, and that has seen the trend towards people wanting to purchase a property either as a second home or a holiday let.

“Any proposed premium on second home owners will be carefully considered and debated by the council before the new legislation is introduced.

“But the revenue generated would prove to be a key source of funding to help to bridge the new council’s budgets and finance vital areas such as homelessness costs and also providing more affordable housing.”

Both the county council and Harrogate Borough Council will be abolished on April 1 next year and be replaced by a new authority called North Yorkshire Council.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak visits Harrogate today

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, visited Harrogate today to attend the final day of the Local Government Association conference.

Mr Sunak, who is the Conservative MP for Richmond in North Yorkshire, is the latest high-profile politician to make an appearance at the three-day event at Harrogate Convention Centre.

It’s the biggest event on the local government calendar and has brought about 1,500 delegates to Harrogate.

On Tuesday, levelling up secretary Michael Gove gave the keynote address. His Labour Party shadow, Lisa Nandy, has also among the speakers.

Yesterday, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey was in town for the conference and spoke to the Stray Ferret about the party’s ambitions in Harrogate.

Children at New Park Primary Academy also had a surprise visit this afternoon from secretary of state for education, Nadhim Zahawi.

Harrogate Convention Centre tweeted some pictures of Mr Sunak chatting with delegates today.

Day 3 of #LGAConf22 and among the 1,600+ delegates gathered in #Harrogate to debate important issues and make decisions on local public services is @RishiSunak #localgov @LGAcomms pic.twitter.com/WfmE25O5LA

— Harrogate Convention Centre (@HgtConventions) June 30, 2022

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Aldi looking to open second Harrogate supermarket

German supermarket chain Aldi has added Harrogate to a list of locations where it would like to open a new store.

Budget supermarkets have been making inroads into the Harrogate district in recent years. Aldi opened its first supermarket in Harrogate on Oak Beck Road in 2016 and another store in Knaresborough in 2021.

Aldi’s rival, Lidl, has had a supermarket in Knaresborough for several years and is currently building a new Harrogate store on Knaresborough Road. Lidl also has plans to open a supermarket at St Michael’s Retail Park in Ripon.

The cost of living crisis could see cheaper supermarkets continue in popularity and now Aldi has released a list of over 50 towns and cities, including Harrogate, that it is targeting in the coming years.

The company is offering a finder’s fee for anyone who recommends a suitable site, which it says should measure 20,000 sq foot, be able to accommodate 100 parking spaces and ideally be near a main road.

George Brown, national property director at Aldi UK, said:

“Despite our growth in recent years, some people still don’t have access to a local store, which is why it is our mission to continue on with our ambitious growth plans and change that.”

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MPs watch: Vote of no confidence and overriding the Brexit deal

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

This month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a vote of no confidence from Tory MPs. MPs also voted to override part of the Brexit deal that relates to Northern Ireland.

We asked our three Conservative MPs, Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but, as usual, we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found out on Mr Jones:

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Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.

In Skipton and Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams: